On Saturday afternoon Oct. 17, community members gathered in the heart of the West Seattle Junction at 4736 California Ave SW for the Grand Opening ribbon cutting and party celebrating Viva Arts.

Hosted alongside Rachel Porter executive director of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the mid-day celebration brought neighbors together with a live DJ, demo classes, and live performances by studio instructors. The event marked the official opening of Viva Arts at its new location, establishing an expanded gathering place dedicated to movement, arts, and culture in West Seattle.

Before counting down to the ribbon cutting outside the studio, Viva Arts proprietor and director Jennifer "Jen" Hobbs addressed the crowd to reflect on the studio's growth. Hobbs first opened Viva Arts in 2020 at 4421 Fauntleroy Way SW before pursuing a larger space to accommodate community demand. "We opened Viva Arts in 2020 over on Fauntleroy, and this has been a dream to open up a bigger space for expansion," Hobbs shared during the event.

She noted that moving to California Avenue provides two separate studio rooms and significantly greater visibility in the neighborhood. "Not only so we can have two rooms, to offer more classes, but also to have a space that has a lot more visibility here on California Avenue and to serve our community a little bit better, to offer more classes for all ages," she explained. The expansion required an eight-month renovation designed by architect Nicholas and constructed by Tooth and Nail Construction. "It was 8 months of work, so it took a long time, a lot of organizing, a lot of patience, and I just really appreciate my community," Hobbs said.

Hobbs brings an extensive background in movement, dance, and fitness to the studio. She is the creator of DancePowered, a popular dance fitness program combining hip-hop fusion, street jazz, and retro dance routines tailored for all skill levels. In addition, Hobbs is an experienced Capoeira instructor who teaches the traditional Afro-Brazilian martial art, incorporating self-defense, acrobatics, dance, music, and instrument training. After building a strong local following with DancePowered, she established Viva Arts as a collaborative community movement hub, partnering with independent instructors to offer a wide spectrum of physical and cultural disciplines.

The new West Seattle Junction facility features dual studio rooms, dedicated changing areas, and multi-purpose spaces to host a diverse lineup of youth and adult programs. Adult offerings include Capoeira, DancePowered, Samba, Egyptian-style Belly Dance, Urban Dance Fitness, and Irish Dance. Partner instructors also lead partner dance styles such as Salsa On2 and Bachata, alongside Clogging, Colombian Folklore Dance, West African Dance, Qi Gong, Bodyweight Conditioning, and Oula Dance Fitness. For younger students, Viva Arts provides youth Capoeira, youth Irish Dance, and PreK Recess. Outside of scheduled classes, the studio rooms are available for private practice and studio rentals managed by administrative coordinator Carolyn.

At its core, Viva Arts operates with a mission to create a safe, accessible, and inclusive space where people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds can connect through movement. The studio provides year-round programming, community outreach, and scholarship opportunities to reduce barriers to participation.

As Hobbs emphasized to the crowd during the grand opening, the instructors and staff share one unified mission: "which is to bring movement to everyone, all levels, all abilities"